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John Ritter
|occupation(s) = Actor, comedian |years active = 1968-2003 |spouse = Nancy Morgan (1977-1996) Amy Yasbeck (1999-2003; his death) |children = Jason, Carly, Tyler (with Morgan), and Stella (with Yasbeck) |nationality = American}}Johnathan Southworth "John" Ritter was an American actor and comedian. He was best known for his television roles as Jack Tripper on the ABC sitcom and as Paul Hennessy on the ABC sitcom 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter. He was also well-known for voicing the titular protagonist of the animated children's series and the animated film from 2000 to 2003. Additionally, he appeared in the horror miniseries as the adult version of Ben Hanscom. For Disney, he portrayed Roger in the 1971 film, The Barefoot Executive (his film debut), and voiced Great Uncle Stew in the Playhouse Disney film Stanley's Dinosaur Round-Up. The latter was his final film and it was dedicated to his memory. He also appeared on some television specials in the 1980s, including guest-starring on Donald Duck's 50th Birthday in 1984, playing Dudley Goode in Mickey's 60th Birthday, and hosting Disney's Living Seas in 1986. Additionally, he played Bob Chipeska in and co-starred in Sling Blade. The former was his final live-action role and was also dedicated to his memory. He is also the son of actor and musician , and the father of actors Jason Ritter, Tyler Ritter, and singer Carly Ritter. On September 11, 2003, Ritter felt ill while rehearsing scenes for the second season of 8 Simple Rules. He was sweating profusely and vomiting, and complained of having chest pains and was rushed to the Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center (the same hospital he was born in). Doctors believed Ritter suffered a heart attack, but it turned out it was actually an aortic dissection, and he died that evening during the surgery. He was 54 years old, six days shy of his 55th birthday. Disney Roles Roger_The_Barefoot_Executive.jpg|'Roger' (The Barefoot Executive) LivingSeasJohnRitter2.jpg|'Host' (Disney's Living Seas) Paul Hennessy 8SR.jpg|'Paul Hennessy' (8 Simple Rules) Great_Uncle_Stew.jpg|'Great Uncle Stew' (Stanley's Dinosaur Round-Up) Gallery John Ritter at the 1988 Emmy Awards.jpg|John Ritter at the 1988 Emmy Awards John Ritter with Nancy Morgan.jpg|John Ritter with his first wife, Nancy Morgan. JohnRitterAmyYasbeck.jpg|John Ritter with his second wife, Amy Yasbeck attending the 2001 People's Choice Awards. John Ritter-Tyler Ritter.jpg|John Ritter with his youngest son, Tyler at premiere of Reign of Fire in June 2002. Jason-ritter-john-ritter.jpg|John Ritter with his eldest son, Jason attending the 5th annual Family TV Awards in July 2003. 8 Simple Rules photo.jpg|John Ritter with (l-r) Martin Spanjers, Kaley Cuoco, Katey Sagal, and Amy Davidson on set of 8 Simple Rules. Trivia *Shortly after Ritter's death, Amy Yasbeck founded the John Ritter Foundation for Aortic Health in honor of him and to give other people life-saving reminders to recognize, treat, and prevent thoracic aortic dissection . Category:Actors Category:People Category:Deceased Category:1940s births Category:Males Category:Voice actors Category:2000s deaths Category:Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color Category:People from California Category:Stanley Category:The Barefoot Executive Category:Comedians Category:American people Category:ABC Category:Television hosts Category:Miramax Films